Torchwood Four
by Red Dragon - Jura
Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Torchwood Four

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: My First Torchwood fic, so please, go easy on me! For the first chapter, I suggest listening to 'The Ballad of Ianto Jones' from the Children Of Earth Soundtrack, as that's what I was listening to while writing it.

Chapter One: The Ballad of Ianto Jones

The day-care at Rhiannon's house is in full swing when Ianto calls. Despite the screaming and laughing of the children, unaware of what danger befalls them, Rhiannon manages to hear the phone. Snatching the receiver from the cradle, she yells for the children to be quiet before putting the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"

"It's me." He doesn't need to say anymore as he walks through the streets of London towards Thames House.

"Oh, I...I thought you couldn't call here?" She's still trying to get used to the fact that her brother's part of something similar to the secret service. "Is it all over?" She hopes to god it is, just so that she can finally hold her children without worry of them being possessed by unseen forces.

"It's only just beginning"

Ianto's ominous reply only worries Rhiannon further. She just wants her kids safe, her little brother safe. Ignoring Johnny's remark about his car after she told him that it was her brother on the phone, Rhiannon continued to listen to Ianto.

"Listen, that column of fire over London, did you see it on the telly?" Ianto knew he was probably asking a stupid question, but he needed to know that Rhiannon knew the facts, needed to know that she knew to keep the kids safe before he...

His thoughts were cut off by Rhiannon's reply.

"No, I was watching _The Other Side_. Of _course_ I did, you dumbo. What's happening? The kids said "we are coming," but who's they? Who is it?"

"Just stop a minute and listen" He doesn't mean to snap. He knows how it all, not just the 456, is going to end and knows that this is possibly the last chance he'll get to speak to her, so he doesn't mean to snap; he just wants to know that she'll be safe. He's not a seer, that's Fliss's speciality, but he doesn't need to be to know his fate, to know how this is all going to play out at the end of tomorrow, and the days, weeks, perhaps even months, following.

An exasperated sigh reaches him. "Ianto, just tell me, who are they?"

"They're from another planet." He doesn't expect her to take it well, and wishes that he could have told her another way, but she needs to know. He carries on: "They want children, that's why they're here."

"They _what_?"

"They want kids, millions of them."

"Why?

"I'm not sure." This is the only lie he'll tell, because he can barely stomach it himself.

"But for the next few days, don't let anyone take David or Mica away from you, for whatever reason. This goes for you people listening in on the wire, too. Forget the Official Secrets Act. If you've got children or grandchildren you need to hear this, and you need to tell every parent you know." Hoping that he had gotten through to Rhiannon, and perhaps, those listening, Ianto took a breath and pressed on. "Look, I've got to go. I love you. Don't let the kids out of your sight. I love them, too. I'm even warming to Johnny a bit."

"We love you too." Rhiannon replied, slightly shocked by her brother's show of affection and what it meant; what she hoped it didn't mean.

Then the line went dead.

"Ianto? Ianto, are you there?"

'Please speak, say something...' She pleads in her mind, but Ianto's gone. Silently, she walks over to Mica and pulls her daughter into a hug.

"What is it? What did he say? Come on, Rhi, what did he say?" Johnny wants to know what's wrong with his children just as much as Rhiannon does, but she can't even force herself to speak. She's too shaken. She knows about the aliens now, and she knows what her brother was really trying to say...

_Goodbye_

The sirens blare around them as the staff of Thames House realise that something is terribly wrong.

"What have you done!" Jack's voice pierces through the mechanical screech of the alarm. Ianto looks at him briefly; his Captain. He was certainly going to miss him.

"You wanted a demonstration of war. A virus has been released. It will kill everyone in the building" The 456 seem almost smug. A look of pure horror on his face, Jack runs out of the room, briefly holding Ianto who leans into the touch for just a moment.

Jack runs to the first guards he finds, "The air's poisoned. Call someone! Shut down the air conditioning, block every air vents, get gas masks, hazard suits, oxygen cylinders", before running back to the main room, only one thought on his mind; _I have to save Ianto_.

"If there's a virus, then there must be an antivirus. Release it now or i'll blow a hole in that tank, and we'll all die together." Ianto figures that he may as well act the hero, even though he knows it would do no good.

"Alright, you've proved your point. Now stop this and we can talk." Ianto can hear the desperation in Jack's voice and feels almost guilty for what he'ss about to do. Almost.

"You are dying, even now"

They both emptied their clips into the tank, but it does no damage whatsoever; there's barely even a scratch. The 456 then begin to emit a high pitched wail.

"What's that noise? What's it doing?" Jack questions the 456's actions for a moment before realising that time's still running short; he has to save his lover. "We've got to get you out of here, I can survive anything, but you can't!"

Ianto shakes his head, causing Jack's heart to shatter. "Too late. I breathe the air." Ianto knows it's a complete lie; he'd put a thin air bubble around himself as soon as they'd entered the building, making a note to thank Fliss for her premonitions later.

"No, there's got to be something, there's got to be an antidote!" He wasn't willing to give up on Ianto, not yet. He'd already lost way too much.

"You said that would fight" Now the 456 didn't just seem smug, but arrogant, cocky.

"Then I take it back alright? I take it all back but not him!" Jack screams at the tank, as if taking his words back would make everything better. Unfortunately, this wasn't high school.

Letting his legs go weak and purposefully rolling his eyes, Ianto slumps, Jack catching him as he 'falls'. He feels absolutely horrible for doing this to Jack, but it had to be done. The world needs to be saved; without anyone gaining the knowledge of his kind.

Muttering a string of no's as he holds his lover, tears forming in his eyes, Jack blocks out everything else, even the voice of the 456 as it mentions something about the remnant, Clem, focusing solely on Ianto; just Ianto.

"It's all my fault."

"No its not" Ianto really doesn't want Jack to feel guilty, especially as he isn't actually going to die. Guilt again gnaws at him and so, despite Chris' reminder to him that he couldn't, under any circumstances, let Jack know, he decids to give Jack one last test, one that would prove to Ianto that he was doing the right thing.

Ignoring Jack's protests for him to stop speaking, he whispers, "I love you" and is unsurprised by Jack's reaction. It was then that Ianto knew he was doing the right thing. He and Jack could never work out, not with the Immortal not knowing Ianto's secret, and certainly not with the barrier that Jack had put around his heart.

Closing his eyes, he prepares to encase his body in a thin layer of ice; giving it the impression of death. But Jack's voice, trembling slightly, stops him.

"Ianto. Ianto. Ianto, stay with me. Ianto stay with me. Please stay with me, stay with me. Please. Please."

His eyes flickering open, he smiles slightly. "Hey, it was good yeah" He has to act as if he's actually dying, as if Jack's refusal to acknowledge his love hurt. The second part wasn't actually hard. Despite knowing that that would be Jack's reaction, it had still hurt.

"Yeah." Tears form in both men's eyes as they try to be strong for the other. Ianto, as if he did not fear death, so that Jack would not worry, and Jack, so that Ianto would not fear death. It was funny that death wasn't actually even part of the equation.

"Don't forget me." Ianto whispers, and this time it was truthful. Because even though he knows he wouldn't die now, he still, like with Rhiannon, knows he will probably never see Jack again.

"Never could." And that was the truth.

"In a thousand years time you won't remember me." Even before his old team had contacted him about the imminent threat, this had always been Ianto's main concern. Even his kind wasn't immortal, though they did have a longer life span than most because of their abilities.

"Yes I will, I promise, I will." And with that, Ianto let go, encasing himself for the world to see him as dead, for Jack to have loved and lost once more.

"Ianto? Ianto? Don't go, don't leave me please. Please...don't" The tears were now falling freely down Jack's face.

"You will die and tommorow your people will deliver the children." With a steely gaze, Jack glares at the 456 before pressing a final kiss to Ianto's cold lips.

_I love you too Jones, Ianto Jones; you sexy Welshman who stole my heart._

And with that, Jack succumbs to the darkness.

Jack wakes, hours later, to Gwen's sobs as she stares at Ianto's pale, cold body. Putting an arm around her, he lets his own tears flow, feeling completely useless.

_What's the point of saving everyone we've ever saved, if we can't even save our own? If I can't even save those I love?_

But when Gwen whispers "There's nothing we can do" the determined hero within Jack is spurred.

_Yes there is. We can defeat the 456. I will avenge you Ianto, I promise_.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed Chapter One! I certainly enjoyed writing it!

I think we all have to admit that Torchwood would be much better if they brought Ianto back, though I can see RTD's reasoning behind his death; you have to admit, it is good drama! I love how the scene was written!

But still! BRING BACK IANTO!

But! Apparently, we do have three new Torchwood Radio Plays starring GDL to look forward to!

Please Review! They make my day!

Thanks for reading!

Holly


	2. Chapter 2

Torchwood Four

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Review Replies:

IronSpockMaster: Thank you very much! I adore Ianto too!

Dubbers: Thank you! I'm determined to make this one good! Not sure how long it will be though; we'll see. And yes! More Radio Plays!

Loki's Passion: Je suis tres desolee. Je parle peu francais. Par, merci beaucoup pour le review!

Workingsomecoffeemagic: It is sad that Jack didn't say, but do not fear! I am a major Janto shipper, so they will be together eventually! I promise! I may understand why RTD killed Ianto, but at the same time, I'm not RTD! Thanks for the review!

DeliaDee: Thanks for the review! And don't worry, I ramble a lot too! I can see where you're coming from but I still understand RTD's reasoning. Not that I agree with it, just that I understand. But as I said in the above reply, I may understand, but I am not RTD, so do not fear, Ianto and Jack will end up together. I promise! Though I'm not saying it will be easy.

OneShotMarvel: Thanks for the review! Is this soon enough? In answer to your questions, it will be a hard road for Janto, especially with Ianto's mission, but they will end up together, I promise! As for the time span, it won't be too long, but still long and hard enough for them to truly miss each other and for Jack to realise how much Ianto means to him. And, who says that Stephen is still going to die?...

AN: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews and alerts for Chapter One! I'm sorry that this chapter wasn't up sooner, but I've been really busy! But then, inspiration hit! And as a treat for you all for waiting so long, I'm posting chapters two and three together!

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><p>Chapter Two:<p>

For the second time that day, the sound of clicking heels could be heard on the floor of the temporary Thames House Mortuary. But rather than belonging to one Gwen Cooper from Torchwood Cardiff, they instead belonged to a tall woman with pure white hair and matching irises.

To her right, but just behind her, stood a man whose fiery red hair and irises made him look dangerous and menacing. Only the small smile on his face contrasted that.

The two walked up to the body marked 14 and slowly peeled back the covering. There lay a still and cold Ianto Jones. But the two did not weep or grieve. Instead, the woman grinned and said; "Chris, would you do the honours?"

The man, Chris, also grinned. "My pleasure."

Hovering his hands over Ianto's body, they slowly began to glow a gold/orange colour. Beneath them, Ianto's body began to heat up, the flesh becoming more lifelike and a puddle of water gathering beneath him as droplets of water slid off of him.

It took a few moments more, but with a sudden gasp of breath, Ianto Jones awoke. Breathing heavily, he sat up and turned towards the two people.

"Fliss? Chris?" His voice was hoarse. Looking down at himself, he whispered; "It worked."

"Course it did!" Chris laughed, slapping Ianto hard on the back causing the recently 'deceased' man to start coughing.

"Chris!" Fliss yelled, before rubbing Ianto's back and telling him in a soothing voice to calm down and breathe naturally.

Chris looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"It's alright" Ianto told him, voice still gruff and hoarse.

Passing him a cantina of water, Fliss told him to drink slowly, which he did.

A few moments passed, before Ianto was finished. Passing the cantina back to Fliss, he grabbed a hand that Chris offered, helping to pull him up.

Once standing, Ianto pulled his two friends into a hug. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too bluebird" Fliss responded.

Chris nodded. "Ditto"

Ianto pulled back and mock glared at them. "I really wish you guys would stop calling me that."

"Sorry bluebird, no can do bluebird" Fliss laughed with a mock salute. Chris laughed, but then suddenly turned serious.

"I hate to cut this short guys, I really do, but we got to go."

Fliss nodded. "We can save the chit chat and reunions for when we've saved the world."

Ianto also nodded and together, they left the room.

Upon entering the lobby, Ianto had noted that Fliss had frozen everyone with her power.

"You couldn't just disguise yourselves?" Ianto asked with a chuckle, but his smile faded when he saw that neither Fliss nor Chris was laughing.

"I had to" She eventually replied. "It was the only way we could get you out." She nodded towards a seating area.

Ianto followed her gaze and his breath caught in his throat.

There, donning his 1940's military coat, sat Captain Jack Harkness, frozen in time, face stained with tears.

A few tears pricked Ianto's own eyes, but he wiped them away. He could not be weak. Not now. Not when so much is at stake.

Nevertheless, he walked over to his love and pressed a kiss to his head. "I love you Jack. Don't ever forget that."

Turning on his heel, he exited the building without looking back for fear that if he did so, he would break down.

Fliss and Chris shared a brief worried glance between each other, before they followed him.

When time re-started, though the man himself was completely unaware of it, Jack Harkness had been in the middle of talking to John Frobisher.

Yet, he couldn't help but pause as he felt a familiar tingle on his head and smelt an equally familiar scent lingering in the air; like the ghost of a presence.

"Ianto" He murmured, eyes fluttering closed for a moment before he realised where he was.

He continued. "Ianto Jones. He has a family. Have they been notified?" He had to be professional about it, even though he couldn't bear the thought of accepting that Ianto was gone, let alone telling others about it.

His wrist-strap beeped, alerting him of a rift spike, but he ignored it. He had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

Still, he couldn't help but notice a niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Ianto was pleasantly surprised to find that the Chevrolet Corvette that he'd known Fliss to have was still around. He'd always enjoyed taking a spin in it.

The car in question was parked just to the side of Thames House, out of reach of any security cameras – not that they were a problem anyway with Fliss' powers – but close enough that they had a quick escape.

"Are all our cars here?" He found himself asking as he slipped into the backseat of the corvette.

"Every single one" Fliss told him with a grin as she started the engine and pulled away from Thames House.

Ianto couldn't help but grin himself. He'd missed his Charger.

She continued. "All sent over from Belfast by Torchwood House when they informed us of our re-instatement."

The smile immediately fell from Ianto's face.

Flashback

The hub was quiet as each member worked on their own individual assignment. Jack was going over prerequisites in his office, Gwen was filling out a stack of paperwork, and Ianto was archiving. Deep in the bowels of the archives, a cell phone rang. Ianto pulled out his mobile, only to find it silent. Confusion quickly turned to worry as he realised which mobile was ringing. Opening one of the draws in his desk he pulled out a long, thin Motorola mobile with the Torchwood logo emblazoned on the back. With trepidation, he answered it.

"Torchwood Four, Ianto Jones speaking." His voice broke slightly. He hadn't used this phone in six years. No-one called it unless it was an emergency.

"Ianto?" Fliss' voice rang through. "We've been called back."

The phone dropped to the floor.

It was an hour later when Ianto emerged from the archives. Walking to Jack's office, he quickly swept the man into a passionate kiss before leaving to go and make coffee, leaving a happy but shocked and confused Jack in his wake.

End of Flashback

"Ianto?" Fliss' voice called him back from his reverie. "We are here."

And despite everything that was going on Ianto couldn't help but smile.

It was good to be home.

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><p>Sorry this chapter's a little short, but it felt right to end it here, a transition between Ianto's old lifedeath and his new life. Besides, the next chapter's much longer, and you get it right now anyway!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!

Please review! (Even if you're going to review the next chapter!)

Holly.


	3. Chapter 3

Torchwood Four

Summary: Why did Ianto sound like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

AN: And here's chapter three!

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><p>The large Victorian manor was exactly how Ianto remembered it. A stone driveway which seemed to run for miles led past a marble fountain decorated with all the elemental symbols before curving to a stop outside the manor itself. The manor had been built in the early Victorian period, yet was not at all affected by age. Ianto suspected that this was Torchwood's doing.<p>

The outside was painted a neutral brown, but the inside was completely different.

Each of the team members' rooms were painted to match their elements, while the rest of the rooms were a haphazard array of colours and styles.

They had all the latest appliances and gadgets and a garage that could fit up to twenty cars.

As Torchwood's best, they were looked after well.

But before Ianto could contemplate much of this, he was tackled to the ground by a petite woman with electric yellow hair and matching eyes squealing "Yannie!"

"Zena!" Ianto grinned and hugged her. "How've you been?"

Zena shrugged. "Same old, same old. Had to fake my own death."

"Me too" Ianto said with a small frown.

"Cheer up Yannie!" Zena told him as she helped him up. "It's not all bad. At least we get to see each other again."

Ianto nodded the smile returning. "You're right"

"I thought i heard your voice out here" A man called, stepping out from the manor. His hair looked more natural as opposed to the others, a deep chestnut brown. His eyes were also the same.

"Alex!" Ianto yelled and hugged the man.

Alex smiled, hugging him back. "Hey Ifan. How've you been?"

"Alright" Ianto replied with a slight wince. Tosh and Owen's death's still hurt. "What about you?"

"Not too bad" Alex replied with his own wince.

It seemed that Ianto wasn't the only team member to be hurting.

Chris cut in. "You know, I hate to break this up, I really do, but we've got a job to do and we need to get to it."

Everyone nodded.

Chris then focused on Ianto. "And Yan? Can you please change? It's a little weird seeing you like that."

"But..." Ianto tried to intervene, but Chris cut him off.

"No buts Yan. Not only do you need to be unrecognisable, but you also need to be ready at a moment's notice."

"Plus, you look hot" Zena pointed out. "Or cold if you want to be literal."

Ianto rolled his eyes and sighed. "Evil, all of you."

Zena put her hand to her chest and put on a mock hurt face while the others just laughed.

"Come on Ifan," Alex joked, "I'm the only one allowed to look normal."

"Lucky you," Ianto grumbled as his body shimmered, replacing his pristine hair cut with long, electric blue hair which was neatly tied back with a thin black band. His eyes glowed with the same blue, and pure white wings erupted from his back.

"Happy now?" He snarked when he was done, though the others knew it was all in jest.

Chris nodded. "Perfect."

Zena squealed and began to stroke one of his wings. "Awe, I missed my little birdie."

"Stop it" Ianto huffed and retracted his wings. Turning on his heel, he headed into the manor.

Zena pouted and headed after him. "Yannie! I was just kiddin'! Yannie!"

The other three laughed before also heading inside.

It was good to be home.

Gwen sighed heavily as they walked up to Rhiannon Davies' front door, Andy just in front, and Rhys just behind her. She really dreaded what she was about to do, but then, wouldn't anyone?  
>She wanted to be angry at Jack for leaving this to her, but she couldn't. The man was broken, perhaps beyond repair. The least Gwen could do for him was this. But she still wasn't looking forward to it.<p>

The door opened and Rhiannon looked at them all, her face steeled with anger. "If you want these kids you ain't gettin' 'em!"  
>Andy shook his head. "Mrs Davies, we're not here about the kids...we're here about your brother."<p>

"Ianto?" Rhiannon's demeanor immediately changed to that of a worried older sibling. "What is it? Is he ok?"

"Can we come in Mrs Davies? You might want to sit down."

"No!" Rhiannon yelled, not caring if the kids heard her. "You tell me what's going on with my brother right now!"

Andy motioned to speak, but Gwen stopped him, knowing that they wouldn't get any farther, and that she had to tell Rhiannon now.

"He's dead" Gwen whispered, eyes burning with tears as she spoke.

Rhiannon's face immediately mirrored Gwen's. "What?" Her voice had lost all of its power and was instead broken. Gwen was reminded of Jack's voice when they were in the Thames House lobby. Turning, she silently made her way into the living room where she sunk down onto the couch.

"I knew it." The young woman began to murmur. "I knew there was something up with him."

"I'm sorry?" Gwen said as she sat down next to her, the three having followed her inside.

Rhiannon looked up, her face now red and streamed with tears. "Ianto. He rang me at about 5 o'clock yesterday and he just sounded like..."

"Like what?" Gwen pressed.

"Like he was saying goodbye" Rhiannon answered, putting her head into her hands. "But that's crazy. I mean, surely he couldn't have..." She trailed off, her voice breaking.

Gwen's mind was whirling. _Could Ianto have?... No_. She shook her head. _That's impossible!_ Then again, she'd seen many an impossible thing since joining Torchwood. Her throat went dry and suddenly, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Could Ianto really have known? But then, what good would it have done? He was still dead, Gwen had seen it with her own eyes.

'_Things are never always as you see them_' She remembered Ianto telling her that after Gwen's heart on her sleeve approach had nearly gotten them killed a few months back. Could there have been a deeper meaning to that sentence?

Rubbing her hand over her face, Gwen stood. She needed to contact Jack. She needed to know whether any of this was possible, before she started jumping to conclusions.

But how could she do that? Jack was in the hold of the government.

Her thoughts were quickly cut off when the sound of military trucks resounded from outside.

"Gwen, they're here. We need to go, now!" Rhys rushed into the room, pulling her and Rhiannon through the door and to the back, where Andy had all the kids. "Come on! Move it!"  
>Anything more Gwen had wanted to think about regarding Ianto's death was pushed aside now in favour of looking after the children. After all, she had promised Jack.<p>

The manor was filled with a multitude of sounds as the team practiced hard. They weren't rusty so to speak, but they did want to get in as much practice as they could in preparation for, not the 456, but what would come after. Each of them now also donned a uniform that looked similar to that of ninja's, each one colour coded to their respective elements.  
>Ianto, as the air and water elemental, was dressed in light blue and white, with slits in the back for his wings. He was currently in the air, practicing his aerial manoeuvres and attacks on all four of the other members. This was to not only strengthen his abilities, but also the other four's defences.<p>

On the ground, Zena, dressed in bright yellow and black to represent her electricity affinity, was fighting hand to hand, with the occasional use of powers, with Chris, who was garbed in red and black for his fire affinity. To her right, stood her partner, Alex, garbed in brown and black for his earth affinity. She and Alex were also simultaneously practicing their teamwork for use in the field, something that Chris and Ianto, also partners, had practiced earlier.  
>Fliss, meanwhile, was fighting hand to hand against Alex, dressed herself in pure white to represent her status as the time elemental. Fliss had no partner when in the field, due to the fact that her old partner, Luca, who had been gifted with the power over matter, had been killed when the team had last been together. This had been one of the reasons why the team had split up. As a result, it had been decided that Fliss would partner with any of the other elementals in a fight, if needed be, but otherwise would fight on her own, still protected none the less by the whole team.<p>

"Guys" Fliss suddenly stopped, her eyes glazed over by a milky white mist. "It's time."

The rest of the team also stopped, Ianto landing back down on solid ground.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked, even though he knew never to doubt Felicity's precognitive abilities.

Fliss' eyes turned back to normal and she nodded. "Definitely."

"Let's go then" Chris said, addressing the whole team. As a group, they moved to the side of the training room and picked up their correspondingly coloured leather coats.

As Ianto picked up his light blue coat and shrugged it on, adjusting it into a position where his wings fit snugly, before retracting them, he sighed.

"Everything will be fine Yan, don't worry" Fliss told him, picking up her friend's sadness.

Ianto shook his head. "It's not the mission I'm bothered about. It's Jack."

"I know" Fliss replied. "And like I said, everything will be fine."

Ianto could only wonder whether that was just Fliss' hunch, or whether she'd seen something that he couldn't.

Nevertheless, he shook away those thoughts. He couldn't think about Jack now. He had a job to do.

The government lab was cold and sterile, but not as cold as the glare that Decker was receiving from Jack, which only grew colder as Decker started to laugh at the predicament that Jack was in.

_How this piece of scum managed to live when Ianto didn't..._

Though still glaring at him, Jack forced himself to turn back to the task at hand, even though his thoughts desperately wanted to focus on his fallen lover.

"Dad? What does he mean?"

His gaze turned toward his daughter who was gazing at him so innocently.

"Centre of the resonance." Decker continued. "That child's gonna fry."

"We're running out of time." - pressed.

That's when Alice clicked.

"No, no dad, tell them no, no dad!" She was screaming and sobbing, even more so when Jack nodded.

"STEPHEN!"

She ran from the room, desperate to get to her child. Jack couldn't bear to look, even more so when an innocent Stephen when placed on the podium.

"Uncle Jack? What's going on?"

Jack ignored him. He had to. He couldn't face his grandson over what he was about to do.

Then suddenly, a bright light of about 5 different colours erupted in the middle of the room, and everything stopped.

As the team appeared inside the government lab, the elemental light that transported each of them receding, they were not shocked to see that everyone had stopped dead, and not, this time, because of Fliss' power.

"You will not harm the boy" Chris stepped forward, despite the fact that he was covered by his elemental aura and therefore could not be seen.

They watched as a man with a brown trench coat on stepped forward. "Who are you to tell us what to do?"

Ianto recognized him as Decker, the man who had let himself and Jack into the room where the 456 were held. But obviously the man could not recognise him.

"We are the Guardians. We are those who protect the earth from all evil, and that includes the 456."

Now Jack stepped forward. "And where were you four days ago? Where were you yesterday?" Ianto could hear Jack's voice breaking and knew that Jack was wondering why the Guardians couldn't have saved Ianto. Unfortunately, this was something that the Guardians could not answer without revealing their own identity. Besides, Jack would not remember any of this tomorrow anyway.

Ianto could not stop himself from stepping forward. "We are where we need to be and we will do what needs to be done for the protection of the human race. We know no personal trivialities."

Chris and the rest of the team could tell that what Ianto was saying was from the heart. These were his personal feelings in regards to the destiny of the Guardians and his relationship with Jack.

Putting a hand on Ianto's shoulder, Chris willed him to step back.

"You will leave the boy alone while we deal with the 456 ourselves." Chris said. Nodding to the others, they disappeared once more, this time appearing in the room on the top floor of Thames House. With no one around, they let their aura shields drop so that the 456 could see them fully.

"You are in breach of the galactic code 172 which dictates that the children of earth should not be harmed under any circumstances, as lain down by the ancient Time Lord, The Doctor. You may leave now and never return, otherwise we will be forced to take action." As leader, it was Chris' job to lay down the rules.

The 456 sounded unfazed. "You have no power over us. We will have the children."

"Oh but we do have power over you." Chris said. "And you will have no more children." He continued, this time more diplomatic. "You have refused to leave and therefore we will take action."

One by one, each of the team held out one of their hands. Their irises began to burn with the colour of their element and their hair seemed to glow. Their bodies were tense and practically reeked power. Then as one, they released their element, five glowing streams of energy directed at one point; the 456. The 456 screamed in anguish both at the pain and the fact that their plans had failed. Moments passed and then the 456 exploded green mucus covering the inside of the tank. Slowly the team lowered their hands, exhausted yet happy that the enemy was defeated and that the children were safe. Then as one, they disappeared back to the lab, completely unaware of the fact that the camera left from the conference was still running.

Jack didn't like these Guardians. Not one bit. While he guessed he could consider them Allies, if what they said was true that is, he did not like them for the fact that they did not show up in time to save Ianto and that when he asked them about it, they were not just dismissive but uncaring. However, he was grateful when they reappeared to tell him and the rest of the people in the room that the 456 were defeated. He still was not sure whether he could trust them though.

He did not have much time to contemplate this however as a darkness suddenly encroached on his senses. But as his eyes fell closed, he was sure he saw Ianto's face peering down at him, a small smile on his face yet his eyes clouded by sadness.

When they reappeared in the lab, Ianto decided to hang back this time and let Chris do the talking and Fliss administer the sleeping draught and amnesia dust, for fear that he would say something he shouldn't do to Jack.

But as his lover collapsed softly to the floor, his eyes flickering closed, Ianto couldn't help but walk over to him. Letting his aura shield drop now that it was not needed, Ianto revelled in being so close to Jack after them being apart, even though it had only been just over 24 hours.

As he looked down on his love, brushing some hair from his forehead, he couldn't help but remember Fliss' words "Everything will be fine."

Ianto certainly hoped so.

* * *

><p>Hope you liked it!<p>

Thanks for reading!

Please review!

Holly.


	4. Chapter 4

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Review Replies:

Chapter 2:

IronSpockMaster: Thank you for the review, and I'm glad you find it interesting. I'd be a bit miffed if you found it boring. I agree, it made me so sad writing it!

Dubbers: Thanks for the review! To be honest, I didn't even think of that. Lol!

Chapter 3:

IronSpockMaster: I have a love for the name Yannie as a nickname for Ianto, so I had to include it and thought that Zena was the perfect quirky character to use it. Glad you found Rhiannon's scene sad and enjoyed the training scene and the characters, as that's what I wanted. Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for reviewing!

Kate Andromeda: Glad you like it, and I promise a happy ending! Thanks for reviewing!

Firehedgehog: I shall continue! I am continuing now! Thanks for the review!

Dubbers: Ianto is indeed an ice angel, though technically he is an air/water elemental guardian, but ice angel sounds so much cooler (also no pun intended). Thanks for the review!

DeliaDee: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story. I agree that it's funny that Jack doesn't like anyone who tries to take his leadership, but personally, I think it's kind of cute. Yes, unfortunately the amnesia will keep Jack and Ianto apart for a bit longer, but not too much longer, maybe 3 or 4 chapters, after all Jack is a smart guy.

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it! Hope you guys like the next chapter!

* * *

><p>Chapter Four:<p>

It was early morning, and the sun had yet to rise, but nevertheless Ianto was awake.

He had been unable to sleep all night, memories of Jack from the previous night echoing within his mind.

He had been able to clearly see the pain in Jack's eyes as he questioned the guardians about their absence in the first four days of the 456's attack, even more so when Ianto, as a stranger in Jack's eyes, had brushed him off, basically saying that Ianto himself had not been important enough to save.

That was far from the truth. The reason that Ianto HAD died, was because he was important. He was to play a crucial part in the protection of the earth from the dark entity that would soon arrive and demand its servitude or its destruction. Without all the guardians present, earth would have little chance in fighting them off.

Ever since the guardians had arrived on earth, accompanied by the mysterious Timelord The Doctor and presented to Torchwood as a specialist team that they would need if they wanted earth to survive, they had known that this day was coming.

They had not known exactly when they would be needed, not until Fliss had had a premonition just over a week ago, a moment which had brought about the reunion of the team, nor had they been told what they would be up against – to be honest, they still didn't know – but they did know that without their help, earth would easily be enslaved or destroyed.

This was the main reason that Ianto knew that he had to leave Jack, no matter how much it would pain both men, because no matter how much Ianto loved Jack, he knew that it was not worth risking the world and the continuation of the human race.

But no matter how much Ianto told himself that it was the right thing to do, he still couldn't help but miss Jack, even after just less than two days. Especially after seeing him twice since his 'death.'

Deciding that it would be pointless to just lie in bed for the next few hours when they had such an important mission to prepare for, and knowing that he would not be able to sleep, Ianto swung himself out of bed, got changed and left.

It was human tradition to have an early morning run, but for Ianto, and the other air guardians that had existed and still did exist, it was tradition to have an early morning flight; a tradition that Ianto had not partaken in, in many years.

* * *

><p>It was early morning, and the sun had yet to rise, but nevertheless Jack was awake.<p>

He'd been unable to sleep all night, memories, and strangely enough the lack of them, plaguing his mind.

When he had first awoke, he had been shocked to find himself in bed, his last memories being arriving at the government lab and agreeing to sacrifice Stephen to save the world...then nothing.

After searching the internet and talking with the all night concierge at the hotel he was also mysteriously in, he had determined that yesterday had happened, the 456 had been defeated, and he was now in this hotel complimentary of the government after all the 'hassle' they'd put Torchwood through.

That had angered Jack. Hassle. That was what they were calling it. If they hadn't hassled Torchwood and blown up the hub, meaning that it was harder for them to defeat the 456, Ianto may still be alive.

That anger had led to thoughts of Ianto.

Now that he had realised that he had not dreamed anything, that it had all happened and he just couldn't remember it – retcon perhaps? Or his mind blocking out the fact that he sacrificed his own grandson? – his thoughts had become focused on his lost love.

Love.

He had never told Ianto how he had truly felt about the younger man and now Jack felt like he had missed his opportunity.

All those times that he blew Ianto off, favoured Gwen or took their relationship for granted, Jack now wanted to change.

But he couldn't.

No matter how hard he wished so.

With that in mind, Jack decided that it was no good dwelling on what he should have changed and should instead focus on the happier memories of himself and Ianto.

Those were the ones he would cling to for the rest of his existence.

_Don't forget me_

Ianto's dying words echoed in Jack's mind, and he laughed slightly. "As if I ever could"

Pulling out a worn photo from his wallet, Jack smiled at it.

It had been taken on their first 'official date' after everything that had happened with Jack leaving with the doctor and John coming back, and showed Ianto with spaghetti sauce on his chin that he was trying to lick off with his tongue, while Jack simultaneously laughed and said something inappropriate.

It was definitely one of the happier moments.

Tucking back away in his wallet, and with the decision that he needed to focus on the happier moments, Jack got out of bed, got dressed and headed out.

If he was going to focus on the happier moments of his and Ianto's relationship, he couldn't do that in London.

No. He had to go back to Cardiff.

The sooner he did that, the sooner he'd feel better.

So despite the chill of the early morning breeze, Jack braved the weather – and the bad memories that were about to resurface – and headed to Thames House.

He needed to collect Ianto's body.

* * *

><p>It was early morning, and the sun had yet to rise, but nevertheless Gwen was awake.<p>

She had been unable to sleep all night, memories of her conversation with Rhiannon the previous day echoing within her mind.

_Rhiannon's face had been streamed with tears as she'd looked at Gwen. "Ianto. He rang me at about 5 o'clock yesterday and he just sounded like..."_

"_Like what?" Gwen had pressed, unsure where the other woman was going._

"_Like he was saying goodbye" Rhiannon had answered before putting her head into her hands. "But that's crazy. I mean, surely he couldn't have..." Then her voice broke, and she'd trailed off._

Her initial thoughts had been cut off by the arrival of the military, prompting herself, Rhys, Andy, Rhiannon and Johnny to hide the kids in an attempt to save them, followed by celebration at the news that the 456 were gone, but now, as she lay in bed, Gwen's thoughts were on one Ianto Jones and the possibility that he may still be alive.

She knew that the call that Rhiannon was talking about was the call that Ianto had made to her as he and Jack walked to Thames House, an effort to get Johnson to track them, and so Ianto could have just been talking as if he was saying goodbye as he knew what kind of danger he and Jack were walking into and that if something did happen Ianto, unlike Jack, would not survive.

But it just seemed too coincidental that something then did happen.

Knowing that she would not sleep, and having a strange feeling that she may find something of use to her conflicted thoughts, Gwen got up, got changed, and headed to Roal Dahl Plass and what was left of the hub.

* * *

><p>The cool air wrapped around Ianto's wings like a blanket, soothing him as he twisted and turned, practicing for the upcoming battle while at the same time enjoying himself. As he flew around London, keeping himself in the clouds to avoid being seen, he used his keen senses, an ability that all guardians had, to look at the city below.<p>

Few people milled around at this time in the morning, but Ianto still found it amusing to watch what those who were out did.

A small smile had graced his face as he flew, but when he passed by Thames House, it turned into a frown. Many memories from the past few days were held in this area of London, both from the Hub 2 and the worse ones from Thames House.

Shaking his head, he pushed away the dark thoughts, determined to have a happy flight. He was just about to head off to another part of London when he noticed a familiar World War Two coat flapping around in the mostly deserted streets surrounding Thames House.

Jack.

He was stood right outside the building, Ianto noticed, confusion and sadness both etched onto his face.

Ianto briefly wondered what Jack was doing there and why he had such conflicted emotions, when he realised with horror that the only reason that Jack would be there, would be to pick up Ianto's body.

A body that was no longer there.

With haste, Ianto banked sharply, heading back to the country manor on the outskirts of London.

He had to warn the others.

Jack may soon catch onto them.

* * *

><p>Jack's boots clicked on the tiled floor of Thames House as he entered, announcing his presence to all around.<p>

"Can I help you sir" A guard quickly approached him.

"I'm here to pick up a body. Ianto Jones" Jack replied, ever professional even though he was breaking inside.

The guard nodded. "Follow me sir."

He led Jack into the same room where Jack had woken up to find Gwen crying over Ianto's body.

But as soon as he entered the room, Jack knew that something was wrong. For the number 14 cover which should have held Ianto was completely flat.

Stalking over to it, Jack turned to the guard and demanded. "Where is he?"

The guard checked his list before shaking his head. "I don't know sir."

"Well find out!" Jack barked, but even though he seemed angry on the outside, on the inside he was breaking. Who could have stolen Ianto's body?

The guard was still however, Jack scaring him too much to allow him to move.

Growling, Jack said. "I want to see the CCTV. If someone's taken his body, the cameras should have picked it up."

Finally, the guard was brought out of his stupor. "Of course Sir." He knew that no-one messed with Jack Harkness.

Leading Jack up to the CCTV booth, he explained to the guard there what had happened and after Jack showed the guard there his Torchwood ID, he was allowed to scour the CCTV footage. Unfortunately, Jack was unable to find anything conclusive. In fact, the only strange thing on the CCTV footage was a slight blip in the cameras when Jack and Gwen had been talking to Frobisher after Jack had woken up. At first, Jack didn't think anything of this, but after watching the footage over a few times, he spotted himself checking his wrist-strap, and that's when he remembered about the rift spike that he had picked up.

Flipping open his wrist strap, he determined that the rift spike had happened at the exact same time as the blip.

After he'd finished checking the footage, he'd thanked the guards for their help before leaving Thames House.

Standing outside the building, Jack found himself immensely confused by Ianto's body going missing, and it's possible connection with the rift spike, especially seeing as the rift was in Cardiff, and Ianto's body was in London.

But even though he did not know what had happened to Ianto's body – though he was determined to find out – he did know that whoever had messed with Ianto's body had hell to pay, because if there was one thing you did not do to Jack Harkness, it was mess with the people he loves.

* * *

><p>There was barely anything left of the hub, Gwen noted as she searched through the wreckage. The lower cells had survived, including Janet the Weevil. Myfanwy the Pteradon had also survived which Gwen was glad about as not only had she become fond of the Pteradon, but she also felt her to be the last thing that Gwen had of Ianto, his coffee machine having not survived.<p>

These were the only main aspects of the hub to survive, everything else, with the exception of a few personal items, having been destroyed in the explosion.

As she'd scoured the hub, she'd managed to find a few barely burnt photos, which she'd also been glad about as some of them contained Tosh and Owen, and a few of Jack's personal items which had not been harmed, including the strange coral like thing that he'd always kept on his desk. But one of the most personal items that Gwen had been able to salvage was Ianto's diary. She thought that Jack would appreciate being able to keep a piece of Ianto with him all the time in the form of the diary.

One of the strangest objects Gwen found however, was a feather, unlike any that she had ever seen before, pure white in colour and unscathed.

And though she had not been able to find anything to help her with her thoughts about Ianto's call to Rhiannon, Gwen still felt better knowing that not all of their past at Torchwood was lost and that herself and Jack would still have a few things to remind them of Ianto even if, like after Owen and Tosh, they once again had to start fresh.

* * *

><p>It was still only early in the morning when Ianto got back, but luckily it was still late enough that this was the time that the Guardians usually got up; it was 6am.<p>

So when Ianto burst through the door, four eyes were quickly looking at him from the adjacent dining room, wondering what exactly had gotten him in such a state.

Steadying his breathing which had increased due to his superfast flight back to manor, Ianto said, "I think Jack's about to figure us out."

* * *

><p>And that's the end of chapter four! I hope you guys enjoyed it!<p>

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, as I'm very busy over the next week or so, but I do know that it will feature Jack coming back to Cardiff and meeting up with Gwen, during which both of them will discuss their 'findings' and will begin to put the pieces together. Meanwhile, Ianto and the other Guardians decide what to do about Jack.

Thanks for reading, and please review!

Holly


	5. Chapter 5

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Review Replies:

Firehedgehog: Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it!

PCJanto: Thank you! Both for the review and the kind words!

OrchidofAkyre: That will be explained later, but don't worry, it will make sense. Thanks for the review!

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it! Hope you guys like the next chapter!

Chapter Five:

If one were to see Jack Harkness walking through Cardiff that morning, they would not recognise him as the overconfident and sometimes cocky leader of Torchwood Three.

His hands were bundled in the pockets of his World War Two Greatcoat and his head was bowed, his back hunched. It was a warm summer morning, but Jack looked as if he was walking through Cardiff in the dead of winter, bunched up in an effort to get away from the cold.

And in a way, he was. Only, the cold that he felt was in his heart.

In the past week, Jack had been fighting for his life, his team and the continuation of the human race, during which he had– in his eyes at least, for he did not yet know the truth – lost both his grandson and his lover.

Then, on top of all of that, he couldn't even get any closure, for Alice would not allow him to Stephen's funeral – he was sure of that – and Ianto couldn't even have a funeral – not even a Torchwood styled one – because someone had taken his body.

He had thought that being in Cardiff would help, help him to remember the good memories, not the bad.

But it didn't.

Because everywhere he looked, he was reminded of Ianto.

It had been even worse when he'd gone to their apartment last night.

Flashback

The key that Ianto had had cut for him months earlier – just after the 'Electro' incident – had slid perfectly into the lock, soundlessly turning before the door swung open; just like always.

The apartment looked just like it had when they'd left it to go to the hub that fateful morning; when they'd both still been alive.

Two coffee cups sat on the table, still half full and slightly mouldy; left in their rush to get to the hub to pick up the rift alert about the hitch-hiker and untended to during their stint in London.

Jack had the slight urge to drink them, the last of Ianto's magnificent coffee, but decided against it. Chinese cartons sat in the fridge – their takeaway addiction from the hub having come home with them – while photos littered the entire apartment. Ianto's suits hung in his wardrobe – never to be worn again – while **their** bed mocked him for he knew that when he went to sleep that night, there would be no Welshman curled up next to him.

And Jack broke.

The tears flowed freely from his eyes as he slumped against the wall, shakes wracking his body.

He didn't understand why this was happening. He'd lost lovers before but had never felt like this; had never been on the edge of insanity.

But he did actually know the answer, he just didn't want to admit it for fear that it would hurt all the more now that Ianto was gone.

The truth was that Ianto Jones was his soulmate. Plain and simple. Ianto was the only one of Jack's lovers who'd completely understood him, who'd loved him **because** of his faults, his immortality and the person he'd become. Not the person who he'd been.

That was why, among other things, Ianto Jones was different, special. Why he meant so much to Jack. Why Jack was broken.

It was only the ringing of his cell phone that broke him from his sobbing.

Swallowing thickly and wiping the tears from his eyes, he picked it up.

End of Flashback

And now, the following morning, he was on his way to Gwen's, the city of Cardiff looking more bleak and dull than it had ever done before.

Gwen's smile as she opened the door did cheer him up though, making his lingering feelings for her tingle, though they could hardly compare with what he felt for Ianto.

"Jack, we've got to talk."

Jack nodded, the smile disappearing, and instead, a heavy as lead feeling formed in the pit of his stomach.

They walked into the living room and then simultaneously said;

"I don't think Ianto's dead"/ "Ianto's body's gone"

Then;

"What!" They both exclaimed.

Gwen said. "You first."

Jack sighed. "When I went to pick up Ianto's body yesterday, it was gone. I checked the CCTV footage and all I got was a blip in the images at one exact moment. Not much, but when I checked my vortex manipulator, it seems that there was a major rift spike at that very moment. Except it wasn't negative, so rather than the rift pulling Ianto in, I think that something came out and took Ianto. I also found that there were more rift spikes occurring at the time when the 456 were defeated, a time that I can't remember."

Gwen also sighed. "That's...complicated. And it makes what I found out a little weirder...and possibly truthful."

"Go on"

Gwen nodded. "Well, when I went around to Ianto's sister's to tell her and to protect David and Mica... they're safe by the way..." A small amount of relief could be seen in Jack's eyes before it was covered with sadness. "...she said that when Ianto called her, when you were both on your way to Thames House..." Jack flinched. "...well, she said that it sounded like he was saying goodbye. Like he knew he was going to..."

She couldn't bring herself to say the actual word.

Jack was thankful.

She continued. "And I know that it's probably completely impossible and completely illogical, but I can't help but wonder if maybe, if he knew, he's still alive. This is Torchwood after all."

"Gwen, Ianto...we saw him...there's, there's no way..."

Gwen couldn't help but think back to the thoughts that she had had at Rhiannon's. "But, 'things are never always as you see them' Jack. Don't you remember Ianto himself telling us that?"

And Jack could, but, "Rhiannon must have heard wrong Gwen, alright? But even if he did know, what does it matter? Ianto...Ianto's dead, and he's not coming back." Jack turned away. He had to get out of there. Things were getting more and more confusing.

"But what if he knew and he is alive Jack? You said it yourself, his body's gone. What if you can have a second chance with him?" Jack wished to god he could, but he had to think logically. It was clearly impossible, and even if there was some small possibility, Jack could not bear the thought of Ianto keeping secrets from him again, nor could he bear the thought of Ianto purposefully leaving him. "I know you don't want to consider that he was keeping secrets, but what would it matter if you could be with him again?"

But Jack just shook his head. "No. Ianto...I knew, know, everything. Ok? Ianto's...he's dead and that's...that's it." He took a breath. "But something has taken his body, for reasons unknown, and I want it back. That is our priority."

After Ianto's announcement the previous morning, the team had had a quick meeting where they had decided that while Jack may pose a small threat to the mission because of his relations with Ianto, as long as Ianto knew where his priorities were if and when the time came and therefore could take care of it, then Jack knowing would not endanger the mission and therefore it wouldn't matter if he found out. They decided that their main priority was to continue training for the upcoming battle without letting anything distract them.

The problem was, Ianto didn't know where his priorities lay.

He knew that he had a duty with the guardians, but he also knew that he loved Jack.

And then, there was something else.

Over the past few days that Ianto had been back with the guardians, he had found himself feeling something more than friendship for Chris. He had never once seen the Guardian Leader as anything other than a friend when they had previously been a team – before Torchwood One and before Jack – but now, could not stop himself from staring at the stone chiselled abs and fiery red hair of their team leader. He wondered whether it could just be a biological thing, for it was typical on their home planet for fire and water elementals to be together, their elements, opposing each other, like yin and yang, but something inside him told him it wasn't.

And every time he thought about it, he felt like he was betraying Jack. He just didn't know what to do.

He was still mulling over his dilemma the next morning while they were training, having found himself paying more attention to what Chris was doing and how he looked than the actual training session.

Chris himself was getting a little worried about Ianto, noticing that he had been distracted since their meeting the previous morning where he had told Ianto to make sure that his priorities were clear. Although he knew that Ianto was probably just thinking about Jack, and that's why he was distracted, Chris couldn't help but call a break, making sure that the others left the room before confronting the younger man.

"Yan? Are you ok?"

Ianto nodded stiffly, trying and failing to quell his heart which was beating with Chris' proximity to him, not to mention the butterflies that he had begun to get whenever Chris called him 'Yan'. "M'fine"

"Are you sure?" Chris pressed. "You don't look ok."

"Yeah, I...um...just thinking..."

"About Jack?" Chris asked, and Ianto swore he could hear a sliver of jealousy in Chris' voice.

Ianto nodded. "Well, sort of...I kind of have this...dilemma."

"What sort of dilemma?"

Ianto sighed. "I know I love Jack but I...I...I think I have feelings for...someone else."

Chris froze for a moment and then nodded, silently telling Ianto to continue.

"And every time I think about it, I feel like I'm betraying Jack, but I can't help that this is the way I feel."

Chris sighed. "Ianto, you can't help the way you feel, and I think that if you have feelings for someone, then" He looked Ianto in the eye, their faces near to touching. "you should act on it. You know that you can't really be with Jack again, even if he finds out, and... you never know, it might lead somewhere you never thought about."

Moments passed, and then slowly, their lips touched. The kiss was slow at first, but gradually became more passionate. Chris' eyes glowed a bright orange, while Ianto's glowed a light blue and his wings slowly unfolded from his back. It was like sparks and fireworks all in one.

Suddenly, Ianto pulled away.

"I can't...I...I'm sorry."

Then he ran from the room, his hair dishevelled and his wings still out, passing the others as they went to go back in causing them to wondering what the heck had happened while they were out.

With no leads on who took Ianto's body apart from the rift spikes, Jack and Gwen decided that the best course of action was to 1, get the footage from Thames House and the Government Lab at the time the 456 were defeated to see if they could find any other anomalies like the one Jack found on the other Thames House footage, and 2, to see whether anyone from the government lab remembered what happened when the 456 were defeated or whether they all, like Jack, had amnesia.

It was for that reason that Jack was now standing outside the front door of his daughter's house. Jack had insisted on calling her, just like he did with everyone else, or leaving it, now that they knew that those he had called also had amnesia and therefore it wasn't just Jack.

But Gwen – who at that point, had been working on getting the footage – had insisted, saying that maybe if he smoothed things over with Alice, it could help him with his feelings regarding Ianto's death.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked at the door and was shocked to be swept up in a hug immediately by Alice when the door opened.

"Dad. I'm so glad you're ok"

Jack didn't reply, merely content to be in her arms, not having felt affection from his daughter in a long time, and not having felt any similar affection since Ianto.

It was nice for him to feel loved again.

But the question niggling him in the back of his mind of why Alice had forgiven him – and so quickly – after what he did, was answered when a shout came from behind her.

"Uncle Jack!"

AN: And now I run away from the angry mob that no doubt has formed, even though I have promised that Jack and Ianto will be together in the end. I have not broken this promise; I'm just making it a bit harder for them, that's all!

But despite the mob that has possibly formed, I still thank you all for reading, and ask you that you please review, even if it's to tell me off for making Ianto and Chris kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Review Replies:

OneShotMarvel: Thank you so very much! I like Chris and the other Guardians as well, so much so, that I'm actually starting to really like the Chris and Ianto pairing. If I hadn't already promised you all a Janto ending, I might have made it a Chris/Ianto ending. And I agree, it makes things harder, which is all the fun (to me at least) of both writing and reading a story. As for Jack, it is quite sad what I'm doing to him, but he'll be fine...eventually...I just have to pile more angst on him first. I'm glad you like the portrayal of Gwen as well. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and thanks for the review!

IANTOISTHEBEST: Thank you! And thank you for the review! I shall write more, and Janto will be Janto in the end.

Sashaxh: I know that Jack and Ianto are such a cute couple, but I can't make things too easy. I promise it will be Janto in the end though!

Jessie Blackwood: Thank you very much! I always worry that I might write something that the readers won't like, but I think that by adding the Chris/Ianto pairing and actually making it a bit of a proper relationship (as you will see in this chapter and the next few) rather than just making it a fling, adds angst to the story which makes it more intriguing. I'm glad you like the story, and thanks for the review!

Firehedgehog: Thank you! Lol. I hope you enjoy the cliffie at the end of this chapter!

Chapter Six:

Over Alice's shoulder, Jack could see that his mind was not playing tricks on him.  
>"Stephen?"<br>The young boy was standing behind his mother, a large smile on his face.  
>"Hey Uncle Jack!"<br>Pulling away from Alice, Jack ran over to his grandson and swept him up into a large hug, tears falling down his face.  
>"Dad? What's going on? I thought the children were safe now." Alice's voice, quivering slightly, broke him from his reverie.<br>"Nothing, nothing" Jack quickly re-assured her. "I'm just glad you're both safe, that's all"  
>"Will you come outside and play football Uncle Jack?" The smile on Stephen's face could light up an entire room.<br>Jack nodded. "I'll meet you out there squirt, I've just gotta talk to your mum first"  
>"Ok" Stephen replied before running outside.<br>"What's the matter Dad?" Alice asked as they walked into the kitchen so that they could keep an eye on Stephen.  
>Jack waited a moment before speaking; trying to work out how he was going to say what he needed to say without revealing anything that might hurt their already fragile relationship.<br>"What do you remember about the government lab?", Is the wording that he went with.  
>"Not much" Alice said to Jack's relief. "The last thing I remember is that guy - Dekker - saying something about a resonance and that's it"<br>"And Stephen?" It would kill him if Stephen remembered that Jack was willing to sacrifice him to save the world.  
>"He remembers less than I do"<br>The tension that could clearly be seen in Jack's posture disappeared. He smiled. "That's good"  
>"Why? Dad, talk to me. What happened? What's going on?"<br>"I don't know what happened with the 456, but I know they're gone. It seems that everyone from the lab has some form of amnesia regarding the 456 being destroyed, which is why I'm asking. We think whatever it is might be involved in something else, so we're trying to find out who exactly that is" He hesitated to continue. "And I don't really want you to remember that sort of stuff anyway. It's not stuff even you should really be thinking about, never mind Stephen."  
>"Oh right"<br>There was silence.  
>"Dad. Something else is bothering you. I can tell. What is it?"<br>"I just...I know you don't really want me being around here, but I'd really like to if you'd let me. I know I'll lose you both one day, but...I'd like to enjoy the time we have"  
>Alice was silent for a moment before she said. "I'd like that too. Stephen may not remember the stuff at the lab, but he still remembers everything else. I don't think finding out his uncle's actually his granddad will come as much of a shock."<br>Jack couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."  
>There was another silence, and Alice could tell that there was still something bothering Jack.<br>"I may be wrong, but...I feel like this is something that maybe, at least in part, has come about because of the last couple of days. Did something happen Dad?"  
>Jack sighed. "I lost someone I loved...very much, and I never told them how I felt. I don't want to make that same mistake again."<br>Alice hugged him, knowing how hard it was to lose someone you loved, and knowing that her father experienced it more than anyone. "Tell me about them."  
>A small smile was brought to Jack's lips as he thought of his love. "His name was Ianto."<br>So Jack told her about Ianto, every little detail from his suits to his coffee and his smile to his immeasurable kindness and by the end of it, Jack felt as if a major weight has been lifted off of his shoulders.

"What was that?"  
>Fliss' voice broke through Chris' shock. He had been staring at the door that Ianto had bolted through for the past few minutes, wondering what the heck had just happened, before the rest of the team had slowly entered, also wondering what had just happened.<br>"I...I'm not sure" Chris replied, and truthfully he wasn't. When Ianto had first told Chris what was wrong with him, what he was thinking about and how he was feeling, Chris hadn't been completely sure that he'd meant him. He had to admit that he had noticed Ianto staring at him a bit the past couple of days and, harbouring his own feelings for the water/air elemental, though his unlike Ianto's went back when the team had previously been together, had hoped that Ianto had been talking about him. So when their lips had met and Ianto had not immediately pulled away, the older man had been over the moon. So when Ianto then had pulled away, basically saying that the kiss had been a mistake, Chris had been shocked and slightly heartbroken.  
>"I can go talk to him, if you want." Fliss offered, but Chris shook his head.<br>"No, I need to do it."  
>He found Ianto in his room, the blue walls and white decor nearly making Ianto invisible, his hair eyes and training outfit camouflaging into the wall. He was sitting on his bed, his head in his hands and it sounded like he was crying.<br>"Yan?" Chris cautiously approached him.  
>Ianto looked up and sighed. "I'm sorry Chris, I don't know what I..."<br>"Don't apologise." Chris cut him off. "Don't apologise unless you actually regret kissing me. If you felt anything like I felt, then don't say anything."  
>Ianto was silent.<br>"Just like I thought." Slowly, Chris walked over to him and sat down on the bed next to him.  
>"Ianto. I had feelings for you when the team was last together, but I didn't think you thought that way, so I ignored it." He knew that Ianto was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but knew that he needed to continue. "But I'd be lying if I said that that's what I actually wanted to do. I wanted to act on it, but I didn't because I didn't want things to be awkward with us, especially seeing as we weren't just friends, but team mates and it could cause reproductions within the whole team." Even though Chris knew that Ianto did have feelings for him, he also knew that Ianto was still upset over loosing Jack, and so he wasn't sure whether to continue. He took a moment before doing so. "But, if it's agreeable with you, I'd like to try this."<br>Ianto sighed. "I do have feelings for you Chris, feelings that are so strong that I've only ever felt them for one other. But that one other is Jack. And while I know that I can probably never be with him again, I still can't help but feel like I'm betraying him if I act on these feelings that I have for you."  
>"What does your heart say?"<br>Ianto closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, he looked Chris straight in the eye, as if boring into his soul. "At the moment, it's telling me to kiss you."  
>Chris smiled. "Then kiss me."<br>Their lips once again met in a passionate embrace, and this time Ianto did not pull away.

Gwen was startled by the sound of the flat door shutting, alerting her to the fact that Jack was back. She had lent him her flat key before he had left to go see Alice, knowing that she would not need to leave before he got back. She was not Tosh with computers and so it would take her awhile to get all the footage that the remaining members of Torchwood needed.  
>"How did it go?" She shouted into the other room.<br>"It went great" Jack said, entering the room. "First of all, it turns out that Stephen's alive"  
>"Jack, that's great." That had not been the news that Gwen had been expecting.<br>"Yeah, it is" Jack was grinning. "And it makes our job easier, because it means that we just need to find out who defeated the 456 and then we've got our culprit for the rift spikes."  
>Gwen nodded. "I'm just finishing up the last file now."<br>Jack also nodded, and then continued his recount of what happened at Alice's. "Turns out neither of them remember anything either, but because Stephen still remembers everything else about the 456, Alice said that she doesn't mind him knowing. We sat him down later and told him everything, and he just thought it was cool. He now wants to work at Torchwood when he's older."  
>Gwen laughed and Jack was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.<br>"I told her about Ianto"  
>"You did?"<br>Jack nodded. "And I feel like a weight has been lifted from me. It felt good to talk about him. To just talk about the good stuff and not really think about the bad stuff."  
>Gwen smiled. "I'm glad."<br>Jack also smiled.  
>Then suddenly, the computer beeped.<br>"Footage is ready" Gwen said.  
>Opening the correct folder, they watched the footage from the lab first, Jack's memories of the guardians and what one of them said about Ianto coming back to him. As it did, so did the anger that he had felt.<br>Then, they watched the Thames House footage from when the 456 were defeated, captured due to the camera there being accidentally left on.  
>But it was five minutes into the footage, when the guardians let down their guards to reveal their true identities, that Jack got the shock of his life.<br>"Ianto..."

Ooooo! Another cliffie! I feel so evil throwing these cliffie's on you, but I think they make the story more intriguing!

Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate it! Please review!

Holly


	7. Chapter 7

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Review Replies:

Firehedgehog: Thank you, and thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

Sashaxh: I'm getting that way about you! :)

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it! Hope you guys like the next chapter!

Chapter Seven: 

He may have looked completely different to what Jack was used to, his hair bright blue and tied up in a ponytail as opposed to the pristine, almost military cut he usually had, his eyes the same shocking blue, his body without a suit, and beautiful white wings adorning his back, but Jack could recognise him anyway.

"Ianto..."

Tears sprung to his eyes at the thought of his lover still being alive, but they were matched by tears of sadness and betrayal, in the fact that, like Gwen said, Ianto had once again lied to him.

All the dots now connected, including the one that Jack refused to see as a dot; Ianto's strange phone call to his sister. It was so obvious now, well apart from a few minor details. Ianto was some sort of otherworldly creature who'd come from goodness knows where, to earth, to do goodness knows what, seemingly falling in love with Jack in the process but then, somehow knowing that he was going to die in Thames House, made a strange goodbye phone call to his sister, who might not really be his sister, before faking his own death and then blowing up the 456.

Ok, maybe it wasn't so obvious, but it still made sense now.

The only question left was why? Why would Ianto not tell them all this?

The only thing left to do now was find out. But how were they going to do that?

"I can't believe I was right." Gwen whispered, causing Jack to pry his eyes from the screen and the image of the lover he thought he'd lost, and turn to her.

"What?"

"He's alive Jack." She whispered, and then suddenly, a large grin appeared on her face. "Jack! He's alive!"

"Yeah, I know..." Jack whispered, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Gwen was very confused as to why Jack wasn't jumping for joy, or at least happy. "Jack, what's wrong?"

Jack sighed. "He lied to me Gwen, lied to us."

"But maybe he had a reason for doing that Jack. You saw it yourself, it's not as if he just ran away or something, it looks like there's a bigger picture here."

"Maybe..."

"Well, why don't we find out?"

"What do you mean?"

Walking over to her bag, Gwen pulled out the slightly charred diary of Ianto's that she had found at the wreckage of the hub, the feather that she had also found tucked neatly inside. "This is what I mean."

She walked back over to him. "I scoured the hub the other say to see if I could salvage anything. I found Janet and Myfanwy unharmed, and managed to find some photos and a few things from your office – which I'll give you later – that were salvageable, but I also found these."

She showed him both items.

"I don't know why I thought that the feather was important, though I know now that it is." She nodded over to the screen where the image of Ianto with his wings out could still be seen. "But I thought it looked unusual."

She then handed him the diary.

"I thought you might want it as a keepsake or something, but I guess it now has a much more important job to do."

Jack stared at the cover of the diary for a moment, his finger tracing Ianto's name which was seemingly written with great care in Ianto's curvy but impeccably neat handwriting, before he opened it up to the first page. Hopefully this might not only help them figure out why Ianto lied to them, but also help Jack figure out what he was going to do next.

_5__th__ August 2001_

_I'm not completely sure what I'm supposed to be writing here, but The Doctor says that by keeping a diary of everything, I'll more easily be able to figure through any problems I have. I don't really believe him, part of me doesn't even trust him, but I'll do it anyway._

_My real name is Ifanueil and I'm a water/air guardian from a small planet called Utopia in the 107__th__ sector of the galaxy, but as of this moment I'm going by Ianto Jones._

_If anyone happens to come across this diary, they're going to think I'm mad, but it's true. I am not from earth, an alien as humans seem to say. Except, there's nothing alien about me. Not really. I look human, I like some foods and dislike others, I have hobbies, a family, really everything that any human has. The only difference is that I was born on another planet, and that I have the power over the elements of water and air._

_But I guess I have always been one of the odd ones out. Even on Utopia, a beautiful little planet with two suns and three moons, where everyone is born with the power over an element and destined with the protection of one or more species or planets, I never truly fitted in with the rest of the Guardians. You see, everyone has the power over an element, everyone, but no-one ever really has the power over anymore than one. And yet, I have the power over two._

_The elders of our world said it was perhaps because my parents were both powerful guardians, my mother with the power over water, and my father over air, or maybe because I had a much bigger destiny. _

_Whatever the reason, I still don't know, because even though I have had many charges in my short lifetime, none of them have ever required me to use both of my powers, and even though I now have a new charge, one that requires me to work with other Guardians, I am still the odd one out, still the only one with two elements at my fingertips._

_That being said, no-one has ever treated me badly because of it. In fact, sometimes I have been revered because of my powers. So it's not a bad thing really, it just makes me feel a bit like an outsider sometimes, that's all._

_But I guess that's where I can relate to The Doctor. He's the last of his kind you see and so he too feels like an outsider at times. But that still doesn't mean I can trust him._

_That's my backstory, so I guess the next question I should answer is, why Ianto Jones?_

_Well my nickname all my life has been Ifan, because Ifanueil is a little bit of a tongue twister. So, when we came to earth and The Doctor told us that we would need new identities, we all (the other Guardians and me) researched our names for English substitutes which were similar._

_Cryston, our team leader, who had always been called Crys, found the English equivalent of his name as Chris, so that's what we now call him._

_Zenith, found Zena, an unusual but nevertheless English (at least in language) name._

_Alevis, usually called Al, found the name Alex._

_Lucion, nicknamed Luc, took on the name Luca._

_Felicity meanwhile found that her name was already English and so kept both her full name and her nickname Fliss._

_I, however, could only find Ian as a suitable replacement, and while it was a perfectly fine name, I didn't feel that it suited me. So, checking on a welsh website instead, we found Ifan to be the nickname of the welsh name Ianto which I felt really suited me and so I became Ianto._

_As for the last name, well, that was done using a power that all Guardians have which is the power over our identities. Not only can we create an aura shield, using the element that we possess, in order to keep our identities a secret, but we can also influence the minds of others to perceive us as how we wish them to perceive us. As a result, I am known as Ianto Jones, born in Wales to Cadwin and Elizabeth Jones, with one sister, Rhiannon, born in 1983 and moved to London when I was 18 (i.e., now) after dropping out of university._

_I feel bad for dropping myself on this quaint little family but we all need to be hidden from the prying eyes of the government and society, ready to protect the world when needed without anyone gaining knowledge of our kind._

_And that's pretty much everything. For now at least. We're supposed to be meeting with these people called Torchwood tomorrow, so I'll write a bit about that when it's over but for now, this is goodbye._

His mind feeling a little overloaded with all the information that he'd just been bombarded with and feeling a little upset to find that everything he'd known about Ianto, even something as simple as his name, had been a lie, Jack put the diary down.

"Jack." Gwen's arm snaked its way around him, pulling him into a hug. "I know you're feeling a little overwhelmed right now, but we need to keep reading. We don't know everything we need to know yet."

Nodding, Jack went to the next entry.

Thanks again for reading guys! I hope you liked it!

Ianto's diary will be split into four parts, so the next three chapters will be Ianto's diary interspersed with The Guardians, before Jack and Gwen make a shocking (or maybe not so shocking) decision.

Please review!

Holly


	8. Chapter 8

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Review Replies:

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it! I'm sorry it's late, I've been really busy, but I hope you guys like the next chapter!

Chapter Eight:

_6__th__ August 2001_

_Today, we met with Torchwood. They seemed nice enough at first, but when The Doctor introduced himself and us, all hell broke loose. It was only when some woman called Yvonne Hartman told the guards that she was expecting us that we were actually allowed through._

_Following that, we went up to her office and The Doctor explained that sometime in the future, we would be needed to save the world but because we didn't know exactly when this was going to happen, we needed to stay on earth until it did. As a result, we needed something to do in the meantime so The Doctor suggested that perhaps we could help out with Torchwood. He said that we were going to stay on earth anyway, so we might as well help out while we were there without having to deal with the government and other people who thought they knew more about alien threats than we did._

_Strangely enough – having felt her to be a bit of a she-devil from the moment we met her – she agreed and we were quickly given Torchwood Special Ops Classification. We were then taken to an amazing Victorian manor in the countryside surrounding London and told that this would be where we were staying for the duration of our time on earth; regardless of how long that actually was._

_I could sense that the whole team – myself included – were extremely happy about that for the house was very exquisite, even more so than the best homes on our own planet. We were going to be living in luxury!_

_But that mood quickly deflated when The Doctor said that he had to leave. While I may still not completely trust him, as I said before I do find a companion of sort in him, both outsiders just trying to (in a way) find where we belong. But I guess nothing lasts forever and he would have had to go eventually. Had he stayed for longer than the two days he did, we probably would have felt much worse. _

_He did, however, promise to come back at the time when we needed him, when it came to the final battle: whenever that may be._

* * *

><p>Pulling away from each other only when they had to breathe, both men smiled. The kiss had once again caused both men's eyes to glow and Ianto's wings to unfold.<p>

Still smiling, Chris ran a hand over one of Ianto's wings causing the younger man to shiver slightly. "My little bluebird."

With a contented sigh, Ianto curled himself up against Chris, his head lying on the older man's chest. Lying himself against the wall, Chris put his arm around Ianto, pulling the younger man even closer to him.

"You know, I never thought that this would happen." Chris admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Really?"

Chris nodded. "Yup. I always thought that you were too good for me and I was just dreaming." His hand continued to stroke Ianto's wings. Ianto's eyes closed briefly in response to the soothing action before he opened them and said; "You obviously can't see what I see in you then."

"What's to see?" Chris asked with a smirk.

"A smart, brave and caring leader." Ianto then grinned and ran a hand down Chris' chest. "Who's also incredibly sexy."

Also grinning, Chris tilted Ianto's chin and kissed him to which Ianto happily responded. Ianto's hands began to run through Chris' hair, while Chris did the same with Ianto's, and Ianto's wings curled so that they were nearly surrounding the couple.

"Oh my god!"

* * *

><p><em>February 2003<em>

_A turning point is a situation in life, good or bad, that completely changes the path that you're currently on._

_The turning point that has just happened in my life has definitely changed things, but I'm not sure whether it's for the better or the worse._

_Last week, we lost a team member. _

_We had thought that, as Guardians, we were pretty much indestructible, but it turns out that human weapons can easily harm or kill us._

_I won't go into detail, as it's very hard to even think about what happened, let alone write or talk about it, but in short, Luca got shot by a mad man with a gun in trying to protect Fliss, and despite our accelerated healing, didn't survive._

_Fliss was heartbroken – she still is – and none of us knew how to help her; we still don't know. None of us have ever had a relationship before, let alone with someone who died protecting us, so we have no idea what to say. All we could do was let her know that we're here for her and hope that that was enough._

_Unfortunately, it wasn't, and as a result, the Guardians have decided to disband. Hartman wasn't too happy about that, but eventually agreed. We know that we'll have to come back together when it's time – if we can still defend the world without Luca that is – but for now, we all need some time apart. All our stuff from the Torchwood Manor where we were living is moving over to the new Torchwood Belfast (Though now called Torchwood Five, as the Guardians were officially called Torchwood Four, Belfast having been lost for many years) that Chris is going to run with himself and Alex along with a few others from London. Like them, I didn't want to leave Torchwood – even without the Guardians, I still feel the need to protect the innocent – and so have decided to stay in London. Torchwood has kindly helped get me a flat a few minutes away from The Tower and while it's not the manor, it's still nice. Zena has also decided to stay with Torchwood, but is going to Scotland to help Two's wayward leader. But Fliss has decided that she can't stay with Torchwood at all and has instead decided to tour the world with the money that she's saved up from Torchwood. And while none of us can blame her, we still wish that things could have stayed the same._

_So that's the current turning point of my life._

_As for whether it's good or bad, I guess I'll have to wait and see to find out._

Gwen and Jack couldn't help but shed a tear for Fliss after reading that entry, even though they didn't know her. Jack especially felt for her as he himself had many an experience of loosing someone he loved, the latest being Ianto, though he obviously now knew that he was alive.

As the entries following were about Torchwood One, and not the Guardians or Jack and Ianto's relationship, so they decided to skip to when Ianto joined Torchwood Three.

_20__th__ September 2005_

_As I said in my last entry, regarding the battle of Canary Wharf, Yvonne Hartman is a witch. I could say much more vile things about her than that, but that's not me, so I'll stick with the witch analogy. Anyway, she is a witch. In my entry regarding The Guardians first meeting with her, I said that I immediately thought her to be this way and was surprised when she agreed to take myself and the other Guardians on, but now I can see that this was purely for her own purposes and that my original thoughts of her were correct. She did not see the doctor as an ally nor us, she merely saw us as tools for her own schemes and was merely biding her time before capturing The Doctor. _

_This last week, she succeeded in capturing The Doctor, and as a result, hell ensued. The Torchwood Tower was overrun by Daleks and Cybermen and many people were killed. If it wasn't for my powers, I'm pretty sure I myself would not have survived. As a result of this catastrophic and horrific time, my views of Torchwood have completely changed. Well, at least in regards to Torchwood One. I do know that there are many other Torchwoods that are not cruel and vindictive like Hartman's was and it is because of this, my need to still protect the world until The Guardians are truly needed, and my need to try and save Lisa, who has been partially converted, that I have now moved to Wales, Cardiff to be precise, and am just about to meet Captain Jack Harkness for the second time (I helped him with a Weevil last night) in order to try and secure myself a job at Torchwood Three._

_I would be completely wrong if I said I had my work cut out for me, even with my magnificent coffee._

_Addendum: While the Captain did like my coffee, he is as stubborn as a mule and it took us working together to catch a Pterodactyl, Pteradon to be precise (Now called Myfanwy), before he finally decided to let me in._

And Jack couldn't help but laugh at the memory as he briefly reminisced himself and Ianto capturing Myfanwy, despite his anger at Ianto for lying to them.

* * *

><p>Chris and Ianto broke apart, both blushing profusely as they turned to look at their three team mates who were stood in the doorway with their eyes wide and their mouths hung open in shock.<p>

"I...um...we can explain." Ianto wore a sheepish smile on his face as he struggled for his words.

"Well then?" Alex said with a laugh. To be honest, he had seen Chris and Ianto looking at each other for the past couple of days and was actually surprised that they hadn't gotten together sooner.

"We...um...well, we, we're..." Chris looked to Ianto for the right words. Ianto just smiled and said, "together"

A piercing squeal was then emitted from Zena's mouth who quickly ran over to the couple and hugged them tightly. "Oh! That's so great! You guys look so cute together, you really do!" She then continued to ramble for another minute before she finally took a breath.

At that point, Alex stepped forward and briefly hugged them. "I'm happy for you both. But my only rule of sorts is, don't let it get in the way of training again."

At that comment, Chris jumped up. "Oh training!" But in doing so, he knocked Ianto, who had still been lying against him, to the floor.

Bending down, Chris helped his new boyfriend up. "Sorry Yan."

Ianto mock pouted. "That hurt."

"Aww." Chris said with mock sympathy, "I'll make it better," and then wrapped his arm around Ianto and pulled him into a quick kiss.

When they broke apart, Chris asked, "Better?"

Ianto grinned. "Much."

Fliss, who hadn't said anything to the couple since walking in, said. "Ianto, can I talk to you?"

* * *

><p>And that's chapter eight! I hope you liked it! Please review!<p>

Thanks for reading!

Holly


	9. Chapter 9

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: Thanks again guys for the reviews and alerts, I really do appreciate them, but can we try to get the review count up again? I got quite a few when this story started but lately, they've been dwindling. Come on guys, I need your support if I'm gonna get future chapters out!

Chapter Nine:

_15th August 2007_

_So much has happened over this past week that I can't really wrap my head around it. First off, Suzie came back from the dead do to the resurrection glove – or risen mitten as I like to call it. And secondly, I finally gave into my feelings for Jack._

_It was the most perfect night and then the following morning, I woke up to his face just smiling down at me, and the first thing he said was. "I was watching you sleep."_

_I think my heart melted there and then._

_The thing is with Jack, he may seem like Mr big bad on the outside, but on the inside he really is quite sweet, and quite the romantic._

_We've decided to keep it on the down low for now, not really wanting the others to know, not really for fear of their reactions – though I know Owen's going to tease me mercilessly about it – but more because we're not really sure what it is. Or at least, I'm not. I know that I just said that Jack's actually really sweet and romantic, but he's still a major flirt, and for all I know, this is just a temporary thing to him._

_I guess I'll just have to wait and find out._

A few tears fell down Jack's face at reading that entry, for Jack knew that, while he had not admitted it, not even when Ianto was dying, he had loved the Welshman from that moment on, and nothing would ever change that love Jack felt for him, he was sure of it.

_3__rd__ October 2007_

_I had been sure that this was the end and yet, I couldn't understand why, if this was the end, the Guardians weren't back together, trying their best to stop the threat, even if they failed._

_As it turned out, it wasn't the end, not with Jack sacrificing himself to save us all._

_We were all stupid. So very stupid. We had let some sadistic old man called Bilis Manger come in the way not only of our duty to Torchwood, but also our duty to Jack._

_And it had ended up with Jack getting killed, twice._

_The first time, because Owen had been pushed over the edge, mostly by Diane leaving him, but also him feeling like Jack doubted his ability – something that was far from the truth – and then, as I said, because he sacrificed himself to save us all, the very people who'd betrayed him._

_Gwen had been sure that he would come back, apparently he was immortal or something, but, even though I had seen it with my own eyes after Owen had shot him, I couldn't help but think that he wouldn't, especially when he didn't wake up after five days._

_During those five days, I found myself heartbroken with grief, spending most of my time locked in Jack's office, just crying into his greatcoat, or curled up on his bunk, just wishing that he was lying next to me._

_Eventually, he did wake up and, in a kiss that did many a thing – told me that he forgave me, told me that he cared and also told the rest of the team about our relationship – proved to me that he wasn't going anywhere._

_And then he did._

_Jack's gone, and we don't know where._

_Gwen was the last one to see him – the rest of us having been out for coffee – but all she said was that there was this unusual gust of wind and then he was gone._

_It's only now, days later, that we actually know why. Tosh had pulled up the footage of the hub and surrounding area in the moments of Jack's disappearance, only to see Jack running down the Plass like a mad-man to a flashing blue box. A flashing blue box that was the TARDIS._

_In that moment, I believed that the time had come, that it was the end, but when I saw The Doctor just stand around for about a minute before leaving, I let out the unconscious breath I'd been holding. He'd just been charging up at the rift, that was all._

_But even though it may not be the actual end of the world, it still feels like it._

_The team's a mess and Jack's gone, my heart's broken and I think things are just going to go downhill from here. I don't see how we're going to be able to do this on our own. I just have to hope that Jack comes back soon. After all, The Doctor is a time traveller._

_Addendum: I've not got much chance to write these days with having to take on extra duties now that Jack's gone, so I'll keep it short and just add it on here. Two months have passed and Jack's still not back. Luckily, Gwen's managed to take control, and we're back on track, saving Wales from weevils and other monsters. I've been promoted to field agent – though technically it's not a promotion as I was a field agent with the Guardians and at T1, but the others don't know that – and I've finally stopped crying over Jack. Now, I'm just plain angry at him. If he ever does return – though I'm not completely sure now – I'm probably going to give him a piece of my mind. Ok, that wasn't so short, but you get the drift._

Reading those two entries about Abbadon and Jack leaving with The Doctor, seeing how hurt Ianto was during both, Jack regretted leaving with The Doctor even more than he already had done. He'd known that Ianto had been hurt by it, but he didn't know he'd been hurt this much. With a small sigh, he flicked to the next entry.

* * *

><p>"What's up Fliss?"<p>

The two Guardians were now alone in Ianto's room, Fliss having requested privacy to talk to Ianto. She hadn't told him what she wanted to talk about, but Ianto guessed that it was about his and Chris' new relationship.

Fliss was silent for a moment before she spoke. "I just don't think that you and Chris have completely thought this through."

"We have." Ianto replied. Chris knew that Ianto still loved Jack and that it might take him a while to completely get over him, but that at the same time, Ianto did have feelings for Chris and was willing to try it with him, even if it didn't work out. "And even if we hadn't, what does it matter to you?"

"I just don't want either of you to get hurt." Fliss replied. "I mean, what about Jack?"

"What about him?" Ianto said, a little defensively. Why was it anyone's business who he was in a relationship with?

"Well, I thought you loved him."

"I do" Ianto said, emphasising his use of the present tense. "But sometimes love isn't always enough."

"Why not?"

Ianto sighed. "I love Jack, I do, but there's no way we can be together. Even if, by some miracle, we survive this 'final battle'" He used air quotes. "How is Jack going to be able to deal with all the secrets that I've kept from him? How am I going to deal with the secrets that he's still kept from me? Plus, he may be from the fifty first century, but he's still human. I'm not. How much is that going to complicate things?"

Running his hand over his face and then through his long electric blue hair, Ianto sighed. "And then there's the little stuff as well. I mean, don't get me wrong, I fell in love with him in spite of his faults but, even though I have a longer life span than most humans, I don't want to be with someone who can't love me".

"What do you mean?" Fliss was kind of confused now. She had believed that Ianto's feelings for Jack had been reciprocated, which was one of the reasons why she had been so shocked when she and the other Guardians had walked in on Chris and Ianto's kiss. "I thought he did love you?"

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Ianto shook his head and said. "No. I just tried to kid myself that he did." He chuckled mirthlessly before continuing. "You know, I even told him that I loved him when I was supposedly 'dying' and do you know what he said to me?"

Fliss shook her head.

Ianto chuckled again. "He said don't. In his eyes, I was dying and he couldn't even say those three little words. I think that tells me all I need to know in regards to our 'relationship.'"

"How do you know that he wasn't just scared, or too upset to say it back?" Fliss now felt kind of bad for bringing all this up, but at the same time, she felt she was right to. If Ianto felt so deeply about his relationship with Jack, then was he really in a position to start a new one with Chris?

"Because he's Jack Harkness, that's why. He flirts with anything that moves and can take off at a moment's notice". He paused slightly, looking directly at Fliss before continuing. "Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that he knows the doctor?" Fliss' eyes went a bit wide at that revelation. "Went off with him for a few months just after we got together. That broke my heart at the time, but I eventually forgave him, telling myself that he did care about me, it was just that he'd been waiting for the doctor for a long time and so had to go when he showed up. But I was a fool, and Jack proved that many a time."

* * *

><p><em>11<em>_th__ January 2008_

_Jack's back._

_After three months without him, he's finally back, and I couldn't be happier. I know I should be angry with him for leaving, but as soon as he smiled at me and said the words "I came back for you," any anger I had felt had disappeared. I know I'm probably sounding like such a sap here, but even after only a month or so of being together, I already feel like I love him. Not that I'll ever tell him that, or at least not yet, because while I'm sure he cares about me, I don't think he loves me. I mean, why would he? I'm nothing special._

'Oh, but you are' Jack couldn't help but think as he read the entry.

_Things went a little crazy after that, what with Jack's ex lover coming to town and all, but I really can't complain because despite all the madness that ensued as a result of that, Jack did ask me out on a date. Sure, he stumbled a bit over his words and made inappropriate jokes about office romance and photocopying my butt, but overall I felt it to be kind of cute._

_Addendum: We managed to have that date a few weeks later, on a chilly but rift permitting evening. We went to a lovely little Italian restaurant on the Plass, and it had been the most perfect first date ever._

Pulling out the photo from that date, the same one he had looked at in the hotel room in London, Jack smiled. That really had been the most perfect first date.

Knowing, sadly, that from then on – with the exception of when Tommy was unfrozen – their relationship had become a bit ignored due to the rift, Jack skipped to the next major moment; their first dance.

_19th May 2008_

_Today, it was Gwen's wedding, and while I should be feeling happy, – after all, one of my friends has just had the happiest day of her life – I don't._

_It had all started when I was asked to go to the dress shop and pick out a new wedding dress for Gwen – as she had been bitten by a Nostrovite and was heavily pregnant – and was holding the dress in front of me to make sure that it was Gwen's size. I had a good eye, but only when I had someone to compare it to, and with me being the only one there..._

_Anyway, this guy – the sales assistant or whatever – had come up to me to ask if I was alright, and I swear he thought I was looking at the wedding dress for myself._

_Sure, I'm with Jack, but even if we did get married, who says I would wear a wedding dress?_

_Not to mention the fact that the idea of me and Jack getting married is completely ridiculous. Not because I don't want to – though obviously not yet – but because I know that Jack wouldn't. Sure, he's been married a few times, but he's never really one to settle down unless he truly loves them. And I know he doesn't feel that way about me. _

_I had never been completely sure before, but after tonight, I know it._

_He had been dancing with Gwen, and while I didn't mind, I decided that I wanted to dance with him myself. So I plucked up the courage and cut in. But while it felt quite right to me, I could see that Jack just couldn't stop staring at Gwen. My heart broke there and then. As soon as the song finished, I left, finding a room upstairs to sit in by myself for a while until I could quell my raging emotions._

_I barely talked to Jack the rest of the night and insisted that I go home alone. If he even knew that I was hurt by his actions – let alone cared – he didn't say anything._

_Suddenly, I'm not really sure whether we actually belong together anymore._

Jack found it horrible to know how little Ianto thought Jack cared for him, because it was all completely un-true. While they were dancing, the reason he had been looking at Gwen was because – in spite of what Ianto thought – he had actually been imagining himself and Ianto getting married. If anything, it was he who didn't think that Ianto wanted that. Yes, Jack did have slight feelings for Gwen, but nothing compared to what he had for Ianto, nothing at all. Jack loved Ianto with all his heart, believing them truthfully to be soul mates. With Gwen, it was just a stupid crush.

* * *

><p>"There were so many moments in our relationship where I just felt like second fiddle, a replacement until Gwen finally gave Jack what he wanted. And then just when I thought that everything was going fine, that maybe, deep down, he actually did care, despite his inability to call us a couple or anything similar, we got called back."<p>

Anger rising up at him, he punched the nearest wall, making small knuckled sized dents in the plaster. "Just when I had it going for me, I had to leave Jack and I couldn't tell him why."

Sighing, he sat on the bed, other hand nursing his now sore one. "I wanted to, but as you know, Chris said we couldn't. And while I understood that, as I lay in Jack's arms taking what I thought to be my final breath I decided that I would give him one last test, and if he passed, I would tell him, and maybe everything would work out."

Then he shook his head and rested it on his hands, as if in defeat. "But he didn't. I told him I loved him, and he said 'don't'."

He looked directly at her, tears now flowing freely down his cheeks. "So you tell me Fliss, how is a relationship like that ever going to work out?"

She was silent.

"I want to be with someone who can give me a future, or at least try to. Chris can do that."

"I still don't think it's a good decision" was all Fliss said, and Ianto could swear he heard a tinge of jealousy in her voice.

"Well it's not your decision to make."

* * *

><p>And that's chapter nine! I really hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Torchwood Four:

Summary: Why is it that Ianto sounded like he knew he wasn't going to see Rhiannon again when he was on the phone with her in 'Day 4'? That's because he did know. COE Fix-It. Multi-Chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: Thanks again guys for all the reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it! I'm sorry for being so late with updating, but I hope you guys like the next chapter!

Chapter Ten:

_29__th__ October 2008_

_Today could possibly be one of the darkest days of my life._

_Today, Tosh and Owen died._

_It all started when John Hart returned to wreak havoc on the city. Only it turned out that he was actually being controlled by Jack's long lost brother called Grey who wanted revenge on Jack for losing him so many years ago. I found out later, that Grey's dead as well._

_Jack's heartbroken, having lost two of his friends and his brother in one day and so, despite my own pain, I'm making sure that I'm there for him whenever he needs me, for whatever reason._

_I told him this, though not in so many words, just saying 'I'm here for you,' and he said. "Thanks Yan. I'm so glad I have you."_

_Now this was quite unusual for Jack Harkness – just showing how hurt he was by everything that had happened – but it made me smile. Maybe I was finally the person he actually wanted and not just the person he could have._

_Deep down, I know that we're going to have to move on. Like Jack said, 'The end is where we start from.' But right now, we're grieving._

_15__th__ June 2009_

_Everything's changing._

_Today seemed like such a normal day to start off, Gwen and Jack were both doing paperwork while I was correctly filing it in the archives, when my Torchwood Four phone – my Guardian phone – began to ring. My heart was immediately in my mouth. I knew that no-one ever called that phone unless it was an emergency. _

_I was even more worried when I picked it up, and heard Fliss' voice on the other end. While I had kept in regular contact with the others, I hadn't heard from Fliss in five years._

_All she said was, "Ianto. We've been called back," and the phone clattered to the floor. I was in shock. After all this time waiting and wondering when the final battle was going to take place, when we would finally be called back to recreate The Guardians, it was finally here._

_This had not been what I was expecting._

_But I guess I could believe it. After all, why shouldn't the biggest thing in my entire life – the most dangerous thing too – happen just when I was beginning to feel comfortable in my relationship with Jack?_

_I guess life's unfair that way._

_After coming out of my shock, I had talked to Fliss for a little while longer, during which, she informed me that an alien was going to come to earth next week and try to take all the children, during which – at exactly 6.34 on Thursday in Thames House, London – I would need to fake my death._

_As if things couldn't get any worse, I didn't just have to leave Jack to go fight for my life and the safety of the earth and everyone on it, but I also had to make Jack think I was dead._

_That was something I really didn't want to do. Jack had already lost so many lovers, already been through so much pain, did I really want to add to that?_

_But I guess I had no choice._

_After finishing my phone call with Fliss, I had gone up to his office and passionately kissed him, putting all of my feelings into it at once, just hoping that, even if we didn't get the chance to be together again before I had to go, Jack would know how I felt._

_20__th__ June 2009_

_It's Day Three of what we're calling Children of Earth (or the 456 invasion as the government calls it) and so much has happened. The SUV's been stolen (Had I more time, I'd tell Rhiannon to move), the HUB's been blown up, Jack's been blown up and then encased in concrete (Though he's fine now after I stole a JCB and dumped his concrete ass off the side of a cliff), the governments after us and now we're currently in what we're calling HUB2, one of London's old holding facilities._

_Rhys is making beans, which has unfortunately interrupted possibly the last moment I could have with Jack before tomorrow._

_Because tomorrow, I die._

_This is going to be the last entry in this diary before I transport it back to the wreckage of the HUB (using my nifty little teleporting power) in the hopes that Jack will find it. I know I shouldn't, but I can't bear the thought of Jack thinking that he got me killed, when it's so far from the truth. At least then, even if I am actually dead from the final battle, he won't feel so guilty like I know he always does when he loses someone close to him._

_So Jack, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the pain that you might have gone through before now, but now you know the truth. And if I am actually dead now, then I want you to know that I love you. Truly, I do. I know I'll probably tell you tomorrow in the hope that you feel the same way and that, if you do, I can tell you there and then rather than you having to go through everything you will have gone through to get to this point. If you don't feel the same way, then don't worry, because you've still given me the best three years of my life._

_So thank you Jack Harkness, my Captain, for being the best friend, confidant, and lover that one could ever ask for._

_Yours forever,_

_Ianto Jones._

Lying in bed, with Chris curled up next to him, Ianto couldn't help but wonder whether Jack had found the diary yet. It's not that he wants to get back together with Jack; he knows that they don't work. Like he said to Fliss earlier, Jack proved that by not being able to tell Ianto that he loved him. But he doesn't want Jack to feel guilty in regards to Ianto's 'death' for any longer; it's already been four days. He knows that while he still loves Jack, he's happy with Chris and that perhaps it's time to move on, but he also hopes that Jack won't be too hurt by the revelation and that, if he did come to London, that he wouldn't be too hurt by Ianto having to do what he would have to do to protect him.

But despite telling himself that he was happy with the way things were, he couldn't help but dream about Jack that night.

Back at the apartment, Jack was staring at the final page, the ink now smudged slightly by his dripping tears.

"So, what do we do now?" Gwen asked, tears also dripping down her cheeks, smudging her mascara.

"We go to London."

Thanks for reading!

Please review!

Holly


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

The train careered along the railway, carrying on its journey from Cardiff to London from its current position near Reading.  
>It was early morning (Approximately 5am) and the first journey of the day.<br>On board one of the carriages sit Gwen and Jack. Gwen was smiling, clearly happy that Ianto was alive (though it could also be in part due to the fact that she had been right about it) but Jack looked extremely uncomfortable; constantly shifting in his seat and his hand twitching in his pocket.  
>"Will you be still?" Gwen said with a laugh.<br>"I'm sorry" Jack said with a sigh. I'm just really nervous"  
>"You don't have any reason to be Jack" Gwen replied putting her arm around him in a friendly hug. "Ianto loves you. Yes he may have lied, but he had reason. It certainly doesn't change how Ianto feels about you."<br>"I hope you're right." Was Jack's reply, his twitching hand clutching around a small object tucked deep in his pocket.

Ianto woke with a yawn, his eyes flickering open and his pupils adjusting to the harsh morning light filtering through the window.  
>Glancing at the clock and seeing that it was only 7am, Ianto closed his eyes once more and tightened his hands around the arms wrapped around his waist, snuggling deeper into the embrace.<br>As he lay in Chris' arms, he considered everything that had happened over the past week or so. Never in his life had he thought he would end up at this point in time. For one, when the guardians had last been together, he had not found himself attracted to men. Then, when he had, when he had been in Torchwood, he had been with Jack and despite their differences had been sure that they'd been perfect for each other. But now, with the great battle looming, everything had changed and life had taken a completely different turn and he instead found himself in the arms of Chris.  
>But despite the circumstances, he was happy.<br>The warmth that he found in his heart as well as around him was frozen when he heard an extremely familiar voice screaming his name.  
>Rolling out of bed and Chris' embrace, Ianto went to the door, only to open it to find a very handsome face staring back at him.<br>"Jack..."

He'd had it all planned out. He was going to be polite and dignified and ask for Ianto calmly, and then he was going to talk to the man he loved personally. After that, everything would be fine, even if it wasn't like it used to be.  
>That all went out of the window as soon as Jack stepped out of the car. Upon seeing the grand mansion and how it was, at least in part, Torchwood's fault for Ianto being taken from him, Jack grew very angry.<br>Barging through the door, he began screaming his lover's name frantically as if Ianto had been forcibly taken as opposed to choosing to leave.  
>Three heads poked out from upstairs looking from the landing to where he stood in the foyer with very confused and shocked looks on their faces. None of them however were Ianto.<br>"Ianto!" He screamed once more, making his way up to the landing as it seemed from the three faces that the guardians were not yet up. Gwen was silently and bashfully waiting by the door.  
>"Ianto!"<br>And then a door opened and he looked into the shocked face of his lover.  
>"Jack..."<br>"Ianto..."  
>The lovers stood, silently watching each other for a moment before arms suddenly slid around Ianto's waist.<br>Arms which were not Jack's, but Chris'.  
>"What's going on Yan?" The guardian leader asked, pressing a kiss to Ianto's neck before looking at Jack. "And you are?"<br>It was quite obvious that Chris knew exactly who Jack was.  
>Ianto expected Jack to say something like 'Jack Harkness. Captain Jack Harkness' and then follow it up with a dirty joke.<br>Instead, Jack just stood their frozen.  
>Ianto sighed. "Chris, can I talk to Jack alone?"<br>Chris looked a little unsure, so Ianto kissed him and said. "I'll be back in a few minutes, but I need to deal with this myself."  
>"Alright" Chris replied, forcing a smile, before walking downstairs, presumably into the kitchen for breakfast like the others had done when Jack had come onto the upstairs landing, his dressing gown floating behind him.<br>Turning to Jack, Ianto motioned for him to follow him into the bedroom, where he sat on the large couch that sat in one corner off the room, waiting for Jack to join him.  
>The older man eventually moved into the room, his eyes fixed on the bed for a moment before his pulled his eyes away and murmured. "It's a big room for one person."<br>"That's why it's not for one." Ianto replied, and that's when Jack noticed things that clearly did not belong to Ianto scattered throughout the room.  
>Jack visibly flinched. "So you..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.<br>Ianto's answer was simple. "Yes"  
>"But I..." Jack tore his eyes away from Ianto's cold, unfeeling gaze. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Everything was already going so wrong.<br>"What?"  
>"I thought you loved me."<br>"What gave you that impression?  
>Well you said...the diary...<br>Ianto sighed. "I didn't want you to find me. I thought that the diary would give you the answers you needed and then you'd forget about it."  
>But the last page<br>"I didn't want you to feel guilty considering I'm actually alive. I know how you get." Ianto accentuated the sentence with a roll of his eyes.  
>"But..." This was all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to go down."<br>"I lied." Ianto said simply, and Jack's heart broke. "I thought it would stop you from following me. Obviously it just made you deluded."  
>"So you don't..."<br>"Never did. I just needed a cover." Ianto shrugged and turned away from Jack, starting to pick up the discarded clothes that were strewn around the room.  
>Jack was silent, so Ianto continued. "What does it matter anyway Jack? You don't feel that way either."<br>Jack was still silent, his hand once again gripping the object in his pocket.  
>A few moments passed before Ianto said. "Are we done here?"<br>Jack nodded with a sigh. "Just...take care Ianto"  
>Ianto smirked. "Always do."<br>With a nod, Jack moved to the door. "Bye Ianto"  
>"Goodbye Jack"<br>And then he was gone.

So sad! I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading!

Please Review!

Holly


	12. Chapter 12

Torchwood Four

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

AN: So sorry for not updating sooner! I promise I'll be better! :)

Chapter Twelve

As soon as he heard the front door slam shut, Ianto broke down. Tears falling down his face, he buried his face into his hands and sobbed.  
>Moments passed until the door opened again, Chris entering through it. "Yan? Are you ok?"<br>Ianto looked up at Chris and shook his head. He thought about lying, about brushing away his tears and plastering on a fake smile because the last thing he wanted his now boyfriend to see was him crying over his ex. But he'd done enough lying to last a life time. "No I'm not"  
>Chris gave a soft sigh and moved to sit beside his love. "You did the right thing."<br>"Did I?"  
>For a moment, the other man was stumped by the reply. "Well...I thought you were happy."<br>"I am but...I do still love him."  
>"Oh…" He knew, but that didn't make it hurt any less.<br>Ianto hated seeing the way Chris' face crumpled at his statement. "You knew that."  
>"I know but...I thought that if you sent him away that you'd gotten over him." Chris didn't like how weak – fragile – he sounded at that point. But he couldn't help letting his fears overtake him, just for a second. "How did he find out anyway?"<br>"I basically left him a note." Ianto shrugged though his gaze was downcast, half guilty and half nonchalant.  
>"Ianto..." Even if they weren't together, Chris still would have been disapproving. It was completely against regulations.<br>Ianto sighed and looked up at him. "I know how he gets Chris. I didn't want him feel guilty. I wouldn't want him to feel that way even if I was dead. But it doesn't mean anything. I still support the mission."  
>Chris gave him a pointed look. "Then why were you so upset?"<br>"Because he looked so upset. I know he didn't love me, but it still must be hard to hear someone tell you that they completely lied to you."  
>"Then why did you lie to him?" Chris needed to understand Ianto's thoughts if he was going to comfort his lover, but he was just getting more and more confused.<br>"Because while we don't know what we're facing, we do know that it comes from the very centre of the rift. If Jack thought that there was any chance he could get me back, then he would do it. And that might get him hurt, which I don't want."  
>"So you're not going back to him?"<br>Ianto could hear the way Chris' voice shook as he spoke, and knew his boyfriend was worried. Well, that was something he'd have to put to rest. "No." As if backing up his words, he curled into Chris' chest and placed a kiss on the other man's neck.  
>Chris let out a soft breath at the actions, leaning into Ianto's kiss. "Good, because you're mine".<br>"Excuse me?" Ianto recoiled immediately, and Chris swore inwardly, realising his mistake.  
>"Well, I mean..."<br>"I am not an object to be bought or won over". Ianto snapped. "Is this what that thing with Jack was about?"  
>"What thing?"<br>"How you clearly knew who he was even after only seeing him at Thames House and yet acted as if you didn't, as if you had no idea of our previous relationship while you flaunted ours in front of his nose?"  
>"Well I..." Chris was stuttering now, and had he not been so angry, Ianto would have found it funny. The elder man rarely got flustered. Instead, his eyes narrowed, hands on his hips. "Yes?"<br>"I just worry is all." Chris admitted, his gaze meeting Ianto's and then the floor.  
>"About what?"<br>"That I'm going to loose you. That you're going to go back to him."  
>Ianto sighed, the tension leaving his body as he curled back into Chris' embrace. "Chris...what's it going to take to prove to you that I care about you?"<br>"Do you love me?" The statement was blunt, and yet it encased all of Chris' fears, everything he was thinking. He needed to know.  
>"What?"<br>"Do you love me?"  
>Despite Jack's appearance, Ianto didn't even have to think. "Of course I do, you idiot." And he kissed Chris deeply, putting any fears the man had quickly to rest.<p>

Gwen immediately knew that something was wrong when she saw Jack come into the foyer looking absolutely devastated.  
>"Jack? What's the matter?" She asked him, but he just walked past her silently, to the car.<br>Sparing one last glance at the four faces who had been watching her while similtaneously looking to the upstairs landing since Ianto and Jack had gone to talk, one of which was now moving upstairs, Gwen too left the manor, shutting the door behind her.  
>Dashing to the car where Jack was sitting in the drivers seat with his head in his hands, clearly crying, she said. "Jack. Please. What's wrong?" The man was scaring her.<br>Jack looked up at her, his eyes red and puffy from crying and said.  
>"He doesn't love me."<p>

After a good hour spent wrapped in each others arms, Chris and Ianto went to the training room to continue working out with the others.  
>They didn't know when or where the final battle would take place, and they had to be ready.<br>No-one mentioned Jack's appearance, or anything they may have heard. They simply trained as if nothing had happened. Because really, nothing had. The guardians had no ties to earth or anyone on it.  
>They had a job to do, and that was all that mattered.<br>They were concerned however when Fliss stopped suddenly, eyes going white with a premonition as she sunk to her knees.  
>They crowded around her, Chris quietly asking if she was alright, but when Fliss finally came back to herself, she looked anything but alright.<br>"He's coming." She whispered, fear in her bright eyes. "The beast is coming in three days."


End file.
